Fantasy | Queer Books for Teens

A Marvel of Magick : Madden and the Dark Unicorns of Danuk

By Ericka T. Page

Madden Edwards can’t seem to keep his mind from wandering off during class, feeling stuck in his ordinary, lackluster existence as a seventh grade student at Washington Middle School. His daydreaming and near obsession with all things magical has been getting him into trouble at school and at home, not to mention inviting the scrutiny of his peers.

But maybe there is a reason he has these obsessions. Perhaps his incorrigible desires of something fantastical were meant to be piqued all along.

When he encounters a real unicorn in peril and manages to help save its life, he is given the chance to transform his own life into one of real magic. Yet, his joy is ephemeral as he soon learns of a sinister plot in which he has unwillingly become entangled. Will his cravings for adventure and significance finally be answered… even though he may get more than he bargained for?

Representation: MC is beginning to understand his blossoming LGBTQ identity.

Into the Tall, Tall Grass

By Loriel Ryon

Yolanda Rodríguez-O’Connell has a secret. All the members of her family have a magical gift—all, that is, except for Yolanda. Still, it’s something she can never talk about, or the townsfolk will call her family brujas—witches. When her grandmother, Wela, falls into an unexplained sleep, Yolanda is scared. Her father is off fighting in a faraway war, her mother died long ago, and Yolanda has isolated herself from her best friend and twin sister. If she loses her grandmother, who will she have left?

When a strange grass emerges in the desert behind their house, Wela miraculously wakes, begging Yolanda to take her to the lone pecan tree left on their land. Determined not to lose her, Yolanda sets out on this journey with her sister, her ex-best friend, and a boy who has a crush on her. But what is the mysterious box that her grandmother needs to find? And how will going to the pecan tree make everything all right? Along the way, Yolanda discovers long-buried secrets that have made their family gift a family curse. But she also finds the healing power of the magic all around her, which just might promise a new beginning.

Representation: Latinx MC; sapphic side characters.

Ownvoices: Latinx representation.

Catch Lili Too

By Sophie Whit

Lili is a Mesopotamian siren, and life as an immortal being is hard enough as it is. She’s asexual (which is incredibly difficult to reconcile if your entire point as a mythical being is to seduce people to death). She’s also struggling with depression from being alive for so long.

Lili is an absolutely shoddy improv-detective trying to track down a serial killer so ruthless that it makes even her murderous soul uneasy. However, there’s something larger at work than just one serial killer. A small town is hiding an even deadlier, global-scale secret. Forget Area 51 conspiracies. This one beats them all. With magic.

So, what better way to spice up her eternal life than being hired as a vigilante detective to stop a serial killer? Anything, literally anything. She’d trade her left lung to get out of this. Or, perhaps, somebody else’s.

Representation: demisexual, panromantic MC; trans and queer side characters.

Ownvoices: demisexual and panromantic representation.

A Kind of Magic

By Ryder Phoenix

Magic school is about to begin! But will it be everything Zyn and Ren hoped for? Zyn struggles to connect with her magic, while Ren collapses to strange visions. At the same time, Sarala arrives at the school after living wild for years, keeping her past secret from the twins. The first year looks to be an interesting one as the three start learning magic together…

Representation: all LGBTQ+ cast; transgender nonbinary asexual MC; pansexual MC; lesbian MC.

Ownvoices: trans and nonbinary representation.

Mala & The Mask of Gold

By Jaime Martin Ko Atilano

Deep down, Mala always knew they were different from the other children of Zambo. But it is not until they are visited by Sidapa, the Deity of Death, that they learn why.

Siblings Mala and Salem have more potential than meets the eye. As Mala finds themselves a part of an ancient prophecy, Salem must decide if he should follow his dream of becoming a defender of Zambo. They travel together to Isla Sirena where they find that mythical beasts have come to life! Mala learns that they must find the Mask of Gold before the dragon-like Bakunawa devours the moon by the next Lunar Eclipse and leaves the entire world in total destruction.

Mala & the Mask of Gold is a character-driven, coming-of-age novel that explores siblinghood, identity, and Filipinx mythology. This book will transport you to a magical realm where mythical creatures are real and danger lurks around every corner.

Representation: genderfluid MC; trans and queer side characters.

Ownvoices: for Filipinx and queer representation.

Illusions

By Madeline J. Reynolds

Thomas Pendelton was born into wealth and prestige. He has a sensitive heart and wants nothing more than to write poetry. Instead, he is apprenticing for Neville Wighton the Great, an aging magician who has become somewhat crazed over the years in his pursuit of fame. With Thomas’ help, Wighton is about to premiere the greatest illusion seen by man, for Thomas possesses something no other illusionist has: real magic. Many in the theatrical world are desperate to learn Wighton’s big secret. One such magician is Paolo il Magnifico. His apprentice, Saverio Moretti, is also seeking the answer. He has a scheme to get close to Wighton by seducing Thomas but seduction turns to real feelings. Now the young men must struggle to keep the secret of their romance, as well as the secret of Thomas’ magic, as both of these things could cost Thomas his life. Through journal entries, posters, letters, and other documents, ILLUSIONS is a story of love, betrayal, and of course, magic.

Representation: Gay and bisexual MCs.

Inkmistress (Of Fire and Stars #0.5)

By Audrey Coulthurst

Asra is a demigod with a dangerous gift: the ability to dictate the future by writing with her blood. To keep her power secret, she leads a quiet life as a healer on a remote mountain, content to help the people in her care and spend time with Ina, the mortal girl she loves.

But Asra’s peaceful life is upended when bandits threaten Ina’s village and the king does nothing to help. Desperate to protect her people, Ina begs Asra for assistance in finding her manifest—the animal she’ll be able to change into as her rite of passage to adulthood. Asra uses her blood magic to help Ina, but her spell goes horribly wrong and the bandits destroy the village, killing Ina’s family.

Unaware that Asra is at fault, Ina swears revenge on the king and takes a savage dragon as her manifest. To stop her, Asra must embark on a journey across the kingdom, becoming a player in lethal games of power among assassins, gods, and even the king himself.

Most frightening of all, she discovers the dark secrets of her own mysterious history—and the terrible, powerful legacy she carries in her blood.

Representation: bisexual MC; gay and lesbian side characters.

Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire #1)

By Natasha Ngan

Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It’s the highest honor they could hope for…and the most demeaning. This year, there’s a ninth. And instead of paper, she’s made of fire.

In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back and this time it’s Lei they’re after — the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king’s interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learns the skills and charm that befit a king’s consort. There, she does the unthinkable — she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world’s entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she’s willing to go for justice and revenge.

Representation: Asian lesbian MC.

Ownvoices: for Asian and queer representation.

Hammer of the Witch (Repeating History #2)

By Dakota Chase

Ash and Grant are about to learn why it was called the Dark Ages, when Merlin, in the guise of their teacher, once again sends them time traveling to reclaim one of the antiquities their prank destroyed: a book called the Malleus Maleficarum, or Hammer of the Witches, which was used to persecute and kill innocent people throughout medieval Europe.

They’ll need to keep their heads down and their wits about them in a Germany ruled by the iron fist of the Inquisition, where anyone who is different is dragged off to horrifying prisons, tortured to confession, and ultimately killed in the worst way imaginable. But it won’t be easy to navigate a frightening and brutal time, secure Merlin’s book, and make it home without attracting attention.

Representation: gay MCs.

The Hazard Gene: Panther Circus

By Dante Gennaro, Jr.

Dylan Hazard is a senior in high school, who has been struggling for years with accepting his sexuality. When he decides to come out to his family and friends as gay, he discovers he inherited enhanced energy which gave him his special ability. While learning to embrace his sexuality, Dylan is in a race against time to master his newfound power so he can save his family from total annihilation and put an end to the rival family, known as the Panthers.

Representation: gay MC.